Monday, January 30, 2012

Day 2 and My First Recipe!

First, let me say these cubes of fudge aren't exactly Almond Joys, but they're pretty darn good. For those unfamiliar with ACD, the diet restricts all sweeteners except stevia, yacon syrup and vegetable glycerin. That's pretty darn limiting, especially when you are faced with a glut of recipes calling for agave syrup and honey.

Stevia is extremely sweet. 1/3 teaspoon is equivalent to 1/4 cup honey. It only takes a few drops of the stuff to sweeten a whole pitcher of lemonade. That's great for conserving pantry space, horrible for converting recipes. After all, we can't just replace the sweetness. We also have to replace the moisture. In baking, it's a bit easier. We can use unsweetened applesauce or even pears, eggs or water. But, when a recipe doesn't call for baking, such as the protein bar recipes provided by Arbonne, we've got a challenge.

Yacon syrup is a different beast. It has a very unique flavor that is great for pecan pie cupcakes, drizzling on sweet potatoes and GF pancakes or making some Elana's Pantry chocolate chip cookies. The taste is somewhat dark, caramel, even kind of cinammony. (Yes, that's a word...now. And you were there when the word entered the lexicon. You're welcome.) It also has a viscosity close to molasses. It's simply too over powering for the snack I wanted.

Vegetable glycerin is a bit foreign to me. I've had some in my pantry for a while. I've only made the carob fudge I referred to yesterday with it. I liked the fudge, but I wanted something with a more familiar taste and I wanted to add some protein. With that one experience with glycerin as my template, I used the flavors for Arbonne's Almond Joy Balls to create something new.

Pour mixture into glass dish. Cover and place in fridge for at least two hours.

Slice, serve and enjoy!

I don't make any pretense that these couldn't use some improvement. For one, I used a full 1/4 cup of slivered almonds and that made it hard to keep the cubes together. I think next time I'll cut them up a bit more in my magic bullet or coffee grinder. So, please, if you have any variations or improvements on this, let me know. I'd love to hear what you think!

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About Me

My name is Melie (rhymes with Emily) and I'm a working mom with two beautiful girls and wife to a world-traveling husband. Just like everyone else, our lives are hectic and at times, a bit overwhelming. Unlike some families, we also have multiple food sensitivities in the house that force us to focus on our diet. This blog is about how we find the time, the foods and the methods to eat and stay healthy.